Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust provides acute and specialist healthcare in northwest London to over 1.3 million people a year.

They employ 15,000 people across five hospitals. And have a long track record in research, education and influencing care and treatment both nationally and worldwide.

As part of their Green Plan, they wanted to make it easier for staff to help reduce emissions by placing the correct waste in the correct bins. So they asked for our help in explaining their Better Waste campaign.

Explaining correct waste disposal methods to employees

Working with Imperial College Healthcare’s brand and user experience team, we simplified messaging so that everyone across their sites can easily understand the Better Waste strategy.

We created illustrations for the various disposal methods in place across the hospitals and added Top Trump-style statistics to explain the cost and emissions involved in disposing of waste in each type of bin.

In addition, we illustrated the various types of waste that would be placed in the bins – from coffee cups and recycling to face masks and sharps. These illustrations were then reused throughout a suite of digital content.

Explaining the Better Waste campaign through animation

First, we created an animated explainer video to clearly define the Better Waste strategy and how employees can help the NHS Trust to reduce waste by using the correct bins.

The full video was then broken into a series of short snippets clearly showing the type of waste that should be placed in each bin – along with calls to action for employees to play their part.

Raising staff awareness through graphic design

We combined artwork from the animated video – along with characters from the Patient Flow series of videos – to create a suite of posters and bin labels that are being used across Imperial College Healthcare sites.

Next, we created a concertina-style leaflet to be printed and handed out to staff at engagement events. This quick-reference guide provides staff with all the information they need to place the correct waste in the correct bins. 

The designs even turned up on branded merchandise

The illustrations were also used to create a range of branded merchandise. They’re now appearing on pens, reusable coffee cups, tote bags and more.

Meanwhile, designs from the campaign were in an infographic sharing highlights of staff achievements that year.